currier



fcN'oM du zsneets-sneet 1. J.B. GURRIER & -D. H. RICE.

Electric Gall.

No.240 ,0l0. Patented April 1-2, 1881..

Fay-1 INVENTD k WITNESSEE.

' MFHERS PHOTO macs HER. mime O n 0 (No Model.)

I j v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2; J..B. GURRIER & D. H. RICE.

Electric Ga.1l.. 4 No', 240,010. Patented April 12,1881, j[.

N. FUELS, PHOTO-LITHOMAPHHL WASHINGTON. DC.

In Fig.2 A A represent the main circuit;

Q the line to be called, which maybe any disi j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J ooe B. ouee ua AND DAVID HALL RICE, or LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS,

A SAID RICE s'srenon TO SAID OURRIER.

. ELECTRI c CALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,010, dated April 12, 1881.

Application filed December 4, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JAooB B. Gunman, and DAVID HALL RICE, of Lowell, county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have inventeda new and useful device pertaining to Electric Calls, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electric calls placed upon telephonic or telegraphic circuits; and

[0 the object of our invention is to provide such a switch mechanism as will permit of a call being made upon any one of a number of stations without sounding the call-bell of any other of the stations upon the circuit. We

accomplish this object by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which-- v Figure 1 represents a single electric switch with its short circuit and alarm mechanism connected therewith. Fig. Zrepresents a main circuit, having thereon a series of separate stations, at each of which is placed one of our electrical switches for shifting the electrical current from the main circuit to the short cirz 5 cuit of such station, and also representing a calling-station provided with means for switching the electrical current upon the short circuit of any desired station, and sounding the alarm thereof.

M, its battery; Gr G, ground connections. N is a rheostat or resistance-coil.

' 1 2 3*" represent the separate stations on 3 5 tance apart.

0 represents the calling station.

1 2 3* represent devices for making and breaking the circuit corresponding, respectively, in synchronosity with the vibrating o tongues of the switches at the different stations to be called.

fffrepresent the short circuits of the stationsto be called, with each of which is connected, as shown, a common electrical bell,

5 each short circuit being grounded at G.

The devices for making and breaking the circuit at the station C are well-known, and are similar to those shown in the application of J. B. Currier, filed November 10, 1879, for

an improvement in electric calls.

A A is the line-wire COlllllV" from the cenltral office and connecting with other stations out upon the line.

B is a vibrating-tongue attached to the metal block b, through which the circuit passes to the ele'ctro-magnet G, from which the circuit passes to the wire A connecting with the next station. This tongue B is of such a length and adjustment that its vibration is made in a given period of time, and the ed by the wire f'with another electro-magnet,

which operates a bell, O, and has a groundconnection, I. The tongue B consists of a soft-iron armature opposite the magnet O, attached to a steel blade, and is adjusted at such 7 5 a distance from the electro-magnet O as to be sensibly attracted by it without being brought into contact with it by any single attraction which the magnet may exert. The spring D is placed a sufficient distance from the tongue, so that no vibration of the tongue caused by a single electric impulse and attractive action of the magnet G will bring them in contact while it is still within the path of the normal vibration of the tongue in its given time. Upon the spring and tongue are placed points a n,

of platinum or other metal, which come in con-' tact when the vibration of the tongue is sufficient. The spring D, being shorter and'lighter than the vibrating tongue B, makes many more 0 vibrationsthan the tongue when struck by it, and will make a frequent and prolonged contact with the tongue on that account. When the contactis made between the springDand vibrating tongue B the circuit will'be complete; 5 through the wire f, spring g, and hammer-rod 70 to the electro-magnetI, which has agroundconnection, and as this circuit is made to have less resistance than that through magnet G and line-wire A the current will pass through the magnet I, which, acting upon its armature m, strikes the bell O, and, breaking the circuit by withdrawing the points 8 8 upon the spring 9 and armature m from contact with one 'another, permits the armature to fall back and again bring the points into contact andcompletethe circuit, and again strike the bell. This action'will be continued as long as the tongue B continues to vibrate into contact with the spring D.

Instead of connecting the line-wire with the block b and permitting the circuit to be made through the vibrating tongue B, the line-wire may ,be connected with the block h, and the wire f, instead of being attached to the block h, be made fast to the block of another spring, whose bifurcated end abuts against the spring D, so that when the spring D is in a state of rest the two will not be in contact; but when the spring D is struck by the tongue B it will be made to vibrate into contact the bifurcated ends of the spring connected with the bell mechanism, and as the spring D and the bifurcated spring end come in contact more frequently than the vibrating tongue and the spring D, this modification may sometimes be desirable.

When the points a a are not in contact the current will pass over the line wire A A through all the stations, each of which is provided with a switch-mechanism like that above described, except that no two of them have tongues whose period of vibration is the same.

When the operator at the central office desires to call any one of the stations he makesand breaks the circuit a number of times in the time required to vibrate the tongue B at the desired station, and with each electric impulse which passes over the line the vibration of the tongue will be increased until its vibrations will reach their normal limit and bring the point 01. upon it in contact with the point a on the spring D, when the call-bell 0 will be sounded, as before described; but as the tongues at the other stations upon the line do not vibrate in the same period of time as that in which the current is made and broken,their movement will not be accelerated to its normal point by their electro-magnets, and none of them will vibrate sufficiently to bring themselves into contact with their like springs D, and no alarm will be sounded at any station other than the one being called.

It is understood that we purpose using with this invention at the calling-station an automatic calling device to make and break the electric circuit of suitable construction for operating the switches and their attached callbellssu ch, for instance, as that described in the application of Jacob B. Currier, filed October 8, 1880,0r of any other well-known construction of oscillating pendulum or vibrating reed or rotating cylinder mechanism.

What we claim as new and of our invention 18-- 1. The combination of a main electrical circuit and two or more short circuits, ff, by means of magnets G O and vibrating tongues B B, each of which is capable of vibrating in a different time from the other, and both of which are capable, when vibrating in their respective times, of transmitting the electric current from the main circuit A to the short circuits ff and sounding alarms thereon, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the main electrical circuit A with a circuit, f, by means of the electro-magnet O and vibrating tongue B, so adjusted that the latter is capable of transmitting the electric current to the circuit f 8 when its vibrations have been augmented by a number of synchronous electrical impulses through the magnet, but is not capable of so transmitting the current by any vibration caused by a single electrical impulse, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the electro-magnet 0, its vibrating tongue B,'connected to the circuit and the contact-spring D, all so adjusted and arranged that a series of synchronous electrical impulses passing through the magnet 0 and attracting the tongue B must be reenforced by several synchronous vibrations of.

the tongue to bring it into electrical contact with the spring D, substantially as described.

4. In combination with each other, an electric battery, a telegraph-line, a switch mechanism operated by regular intermittent impulses of the electric current from a distant station to convey the latter upon a short or side circuit, and a call-bell in said short circuit, substantially as described.

5. In combination with the vibrating reed, the spring D, separated therefrom when at rest, and arranged to vibrate more rapidly than the reed, and the whole forming a switch mechanism to convey the electric current, substantially as described.

6. The combination, on an electric circuit, of a series of vibrating spring-reeds, B B, each placed at a separate station on the circuit and each constructed of a substantiallydifferent tension or vibrating length and size,

to vibrate in unison with intermittent electrical 1 impulses passing synchronously over said circuit with the magnets G O, and the bells S S placed in like manner, the latter constructed to operate by connecting mechanism from said spring-reeds, substantially as described.

JACOB B. GURRIER. DAVID HALL RICE.

Witnesses:

PLINNY RoLLINs, LEPINE 0. RICE. 

